The word good is usually an adjective modifier. Something is “good,” defines a quality of this something. Good can mean useful, advantageous, or beneficial in effect; to be desired or approved of, pleasing and/or welcome, among other possible understandings. The Good referred to here is a little different. Actually, it’s a lot different. It’s not an adjective, but an outcome denoting something specific: the objective of government. We will eventually…
The Unacceptable Cost of Poverty – You are So Right!
An Open Letter Mr. Charles R. Kesler Editor Claremont Review of Books Claremont, CA Dear Mr. Kesler, I’m a reasonably long-term subscriber to your conservative quarterly Claremont Review of Books. For the most part I find the reviews and articles both interesting and informative, if unabashedly slanted—at times excessively so, it seems—toward conservative views. The Review bills itself “A Journal of Political thought and Statesmanship.” Of political thought, obviously; of…
We Need a Change!
Say what? You want to know if we really do have a problem with government, or is all this chatter about it simply hyperbole? You really have to ask that question? Let me ask you, “What makes you think maybe we don’t?” What’s that? “What makes me really think we do?” Well, okay, how about this for starters: “On January 26, 2010, the Senate voted on a resolution to create…
The Degradation of Majority Rule
Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address in 1980 is perhaps best remembered for his pronouncement that “government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem However, he was quick to add that—as now president, its chief administrative officer—it was not his intention to do away with “the problem”, simply to make it more user friendly: “. . . make it work with us, not over us. . . Government…
Heterosexual & Homosexual Unions, A Standard of Identity Issue
North Carolina recently became the thirtieth state to pass a constitutional amendment banning homosexual, or gay, marriage and civil unions. This represents the cumulative verdict of 60 percent of America by states on this issue. The vote was hardly close: 61%-39%. 93 out of the State’s 100 counties voted for the amendment. These figures mask some telling details, but the bottom line is that by a significant majority, the people…
An Independent Political Point of View
October 13, 2010 Mr. Paul C. Gullixson Editorial Director The Press Democrat 427 Mendocino Avenue Santa Rosa, CA Dear Mr. Gullixson: From time to time I’m inclined to draft letters to the editor and short articles on and around the subject I write about: political Independents. Infrequently, I actually submit such materials for publication. Invariably, it’s in vain. I never ask “why”. I know why. The answer is twofold:…
Choke Points Pt. 2
CHOKE POINTS IN DEMOCRACY By T.R. Harry Part II In part I of this rumination, I highlighted that as things stand today in our society, America is out of Balance, Balance—with a capital “B”. This Balance —with a capital “B”—was defined at that point. This imbalance prevents us from moving closer—even from moving in the right direction—to becoming more of a good society. And in a somewhat circular argument, I…
Choke Points Pt. 1
The American family Gazette Volume II, 1009 Part I of II In an earlier post this month I commented on an article by Eric Alterman in The Nation magazine. Therein he raised the issue of “choke points” in politics that inhibit, or negatively affect, the workings of democracy. I believe he’s right; they exist, and merit more than passing comment or acknowledgement. They merit correction or, if they can’t…
Eric Alterman Article
The American Family Gazette Volume II, 1009 Eric Alterman, a champion of and advocate for a progressive, or just liberal political agenda—I’m not quite sure which— recently penned an article in the magazine The Nation (August 30/September 6) bemoaning the fact that the results of the Obama Administration after eighteen months in office are somewhat of a disappointment in his eyes (which from his presentation I generalize to the eyes…
Unbundle the Welfare State (Comments and Observations)
“Unbundle the Welfare State” is a polemic by James “Jim” Manzi in the December 20,2010 issue of National Review. Mr. Manzi is a recognized representative of the conservative establishment, whose views reveal a libertarian tilt. This isn’t a value judgment, simply a description of the political philosophical leanings, the way the wind blows, for the author. An article such as this in one of the leading general-public conservative weeklies represents,…
